Author's note: Thanks to everyone who left a review, you guys keep me writing!

Chapter 4- The Luck of the Irish

The White Hart was the local boozer on the Welland Estate and according to Jacob was where Harvey liked to spend most afternoons. Peter watched him from the bar, he was playing a game of snooker with his friends. They were a mean looking bunch, the sort you wouldn't want to bump into in a dark alley. They were drinking heavily and being rowdy and generally disruptive but no one dared say anything to them, they were all too afraid.

After a few games, Harvey announced he was going to take a leak and headed off to the toilets. Seeing his opportunity, Peter abandoned his orange juice and took off after him. He followed him into the toilets and charged at him from behind, shoving the unsuspecting man against the far wall. If Harvey had been sober, Peter wouldn't have stood a chance, but luckily he could barely walk in a straight line, let alone throw a punch. Peter had him by the throat as Harvey stared at him, wide-eyed and stammering to speak. "What the…! Who the hell are you?!"

"Who am I?" Peter's hand tightened around his throat. "I'm Simon's dad and I've got a warning for you. Stay away from my family. Leave my son alone. Or I swear, the next time I see you... I'll kill you."

Peter released him and Harvey fell to the floor, coughing and spluttering as he gasped for breath. Peter looked down his nose at him, a warning flickering in his eyes, before turning away. "You made a big mistake coming here and threatening me…" Harvey called after him, pulling himself to his feet. "A big mistake."

A hand waved in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Carla? Anyone home?"

She snapped out of her daze and smiled at the man sitting across the desk. "Sorry, I was miles away. What's up?"

"You've not been with it all morning," Lucas said. "It's not that alcoholic boyfriend of yours again is it?"

She rolled her eyes at the last part. "No, it's not actually, for once. It's his son, Simon. He's landed himself in a bit of bother. Peter's supposed to be sorting it out but he's just going to make things ten times worse, I know he is."

"What kind of trouble is the wee lad in? Are we talking playground bullies, that type of thing?"

"No, it's a bit more serious than that." She knew Peter wouldn't want her divulging private family matters to Lucas of all people so she tried to keep the details vague. "I said we should go to the police but Peter's having none of it. He's determined to save Simon himself. That's the thing about Peter, he sees himself as some kind of hero, but he's not. He's a fifty-six-year-old alcoholic with a failing liver. He's in no fit state to be riding to anybody's rescue. But of course, he doesn't want to hear that, does he? He thinks I'm banging on at him, that I should mind my own business and leave him and Leanne to deal with Simon." She rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you all this."

"It's fine. We all need to vent every once in a while." He smiled. "Listen, why don't you go home, take the rest of the afternoon off?"

"What? I can't do that! We've not finished up here yet."

"You're no good to me when your mind's clearly elsewhere. Go home, talk to Peter."

She thanked him then stood up to leave. On her way out he called after her, "For what it's worth, I think you're right. Whatever Simon's caught up in sounds like a matter for the police. Peter should leave well alone before things get out of hand."

Carla heeded his warning and left.

She waited around at number one for nearly an hour before Peter eventually returned. He shrugged off his green jacket and walked straight past her as if she was invisible. She followed him into the kitchen and stood behind him with folded arms as he poured himself a glass of water. "So how did it go? Did you find him, that Harvey fella?"

He turned to her, leaning back against the counter, a glass in his hand. "Yeah, I found him."

Something in the way he said it made her nervous. "And?"

"He won't be bothering us again," he said, sounding smug. His hand trembled as he lifted the glass to his lips and took thirsty gulps.

"Why, what did you say to him?"

Peter tapped his nose for her to mind her own business and she pursed her lips in frustration. "Why are you being so evasive? Just tell me what happened!"

Peter sighed in annoyance. "I put the frighteners on him, okay? He got the message loud and clear."

Somehow Carla didn't believe that last part was true. She began to pace the small confines of the kitchen, biting her manicured nails. "No, I don't like this. I still say we should go to the police."

"Oh for heaven's sake, not this again," he groaned. "Change the record, will you?"

She stopped still and her arms flew out at her sides. "I'm worried about you! About Simon, Leanne – all of us!"

Peter could feel his patience wearing thin. "Look, we had a problem, I've dealt with it, so please, can we just let it go?"

"But will they though?" She laughed, "I mean, come on Peter, let's face it, whatever you said to this Harvey bloke's hardly going to have him running for the hills! If anything he'll be even more determined to make Simon's life hell."

Peter pushed past her into the living room. "Haven't you got knickers to sell?"

"Lucas let me go early."

"Oh did he now?"

"Yes. So we could talk."

"Hang on a minute…" As her words registered, Peter glared up at her, eyes burning with accusation. "What have you been telling him? Does he know about Simon?"

"Of course not."

"I don't want that man knowing anything about what goes on in this family," he interrupted her. "Have you got that?"

"I haven't told him anything, I swear!"

He looked away from her and down at his jigsaw and she noticed how his hand trembled as he picked up a puzzle piece. Come to think of it, he was looking rather peaky, more so than usual. Her voice became laced with concern. "Darlin', you don't look well."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Here, let me look at you—"

She reached out to touch his forehead but he batted her hand away. "I said I'm fine!"

Stung by the rejection Carla bit her tongue to stop herself from saying something she regretted. "Peter," she said in an effort to placate him. "I know you and Leanne are only doing what you think is best but we're out of our depth. We need to go to the police before things get out of ha—"

"Enough!" His outburst stunned her into silence. "Stop telling me what to do. Simon is my son – mine and Leanne's – so we'll make the decisions. Is that clear?"

She nodded to let him know she understood him then said, "You know what? I think you're right, I'm going to head back to work."

"Yeah, why don't you do that?"

He turned back to his jigsaw and she stormed out in a huff.

Lucas had been about to head home when Carla came stomping back into the office with a face like thunder. "I wasn't expecting to see you here again today," he said, secretly delighted.

She threw her handbag down on the desk. "Yeah, well, my talk with Peter didn't go so good."

She was clearly upset and Lucas decided to use it to his advantage. He stood and slipped his files into his briefcase. "As it happens I was just about to shoot off…" He paused, smiling. "Unless of course you fancy joining me for a drink over the road?"

The question threw her and she blushed. It pleased him to know he still had that effect on her. But she shot him down. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

He should have seen that coming. Ever since she'd bailed on their weekend away, choosing instead to stay and work things out with Peter, things had been awkward between them. They had agreed to keep things strictly professional from now on, but Lucas wanted more. His feelings for her hadn't gone away. He was simply biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. And now was the time, if only he could convince her to have a drink with him.

"Oh, come on… we're still friends, aren't we? What's the harm in two colleagues having a drink after a long day in the office? We used to do it all the time. Besides, you look like you could use a chat. And we both know, I'm a good listener."

He could be very persuasive when he wanted to be and Carla found herself relenting. "Alright, you win. But you're buying."

He grinned back at her. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Peter stared at the jumbled pieces in front of him. He had been working on the jigsaw ever since Carla left but was struggling to concentrate. All he could think about was the look on her face right before she'd stormed out. He hadn't meant to be so harsh with her but his mood swings were worse than a hormonal teenager's. He heard the front door go and he looked up, hopeful it was her, but his smile turned into a disdainful scowl when Adam approached. "What do want?"

The solicitor leant in the doorway as his eyes scanned over the living room. "I'm looking for grandad, is he here?"

"He's nipped to the shops." Peter refused to look at him. "Don't feel the need to hang around."

"I won't. I know when I'm not welcome, and anyway, I can see that you're busy. Is this how you spend your evenings now, tucked up in a blanket playing a jigsaw?"

Peter didn't take kindly to his mocking tone. "What of it?"

"Haven't you got better things to be doing?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, we're in the middle of a pandemic, Adam. I can't exactly put my glad rags on and hit the town."

"So a jigsaw's the next best thing, is it?"

"It helps pass the time. And it keeps my mind off other things."

"Other things being booze?"

"No, the packet of Hobnobs in the cupboard."

Adam took Peter's scathing sarcasm as his cue to leave. "Well, I'll leave you to your jigsaw. I've got a date night with Sarah to get to."

"Date night?" Peter's brow raised in amusement. "So you've patched things up then? Pity. I thought Sarah had more about her."

"Oh aye? Well, I hear you and Carla are back on so what does that say about you?"

Hearing Carla's name come out of Adam's mouth made Peter want to knock seven bells out of him. He glared up at his nephew. "I've chosen to forgive her. But not you. I'll never forgive you."

Adam gave a dramatic roll of his eyes ."Oh come on Peter, this feuding's got to stop. We're still family, whether you like it or not."

"Family?" Peter scoffed. "No, don't play that card. Family don't do what you did to me."

"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry." Adam shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. "Anyway, let's not rake all that up again. Where's Carla tonight anyway? Why she's not here helping you with your jigsaw?" He chuckled. "Then again, she doesn't strike me as the jigsaw type."

"She's at the factory," Peter growled.

There was something the way Peter said it that piqued Adam's interest. "Why do I get the impression you've fallen out?" At Peter's silence, he laughed, "You have, haven't you? For crying out loud, you two want your heads banging together! It's like a never-ending saga! What's happened now?"

"That's none of your business."

"You know, you might want to start treating her with a bit more respect."

His words hit a nerve and Peter tensed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Carla," he clarified. "You walk all over her."

"Are you looking for a smack?"

"You're always snapping at her. It's a comment here, a comment there. The only reason she slept with me was because you drove her away with the hurtful things you said, and if you're not careful, you'll do it again."

"I'd really stop talking if I was you," Peter warned him.

"I'm trying to help you for God's sake! You've got an amazing woman who loves and adores you and it's time you started appreciating her otherwise she'll find somebody who does."

"Like you for instance?"

"No, like Lucas for instance." Adam saw the flicker of jealousy in Peter's eyes and grinned victoriously. "Yeah, that's right, Sarah's told me all about him, how he follows Carla around like a puppy." He hoped this would spark a reaction but Peter didn't take the bait and turned his attention back to the jigsaw. "Well, don't you have anything to say?"

Peter shrugged. "Like what?"

"Well if some smooth-talking Irishman was trying to tempt my missus away I'd be at the factory staking my claim, not sat here doing a jigsaw! But hey, each to their own I guess."

"Enjoy your date night!" Peter goaded him as he walked away.

At the front door Adam paused, shaking his head back at him. "You know what, Peter? We all try to help you but you do yourself no favours."

In the bistro, the wine was flowing as was the conversation. Carla had been off the booze for so long that now even the tiniest glass made her tipsy. "I mean don't get me wrong," she began, slurring her words as she topped up her glass. "Our relationship's never been plain sailing but lately all we ever seem to do is fight. Everything little thing turns into some massive argument. Sometimes makes me wonder why we bother."

She reached for her glass, about to take a sip, but stopped herself. She stared down at the swirling red liquid. "You know he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol in four years, then I came back into his life, and boom, it's been one relapse after another. Seems like one hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" Dispelling a heavy sigh, she continued, "And now he's drinking again. He could die. And I can't help thinking it's my fault. My fault for sleeping with his nephew, for pushing him over the edge…"

She trailed off, her finger circling the rim of her glass as she stared miserably down at it, and Lucas took it as his cue to speak. "When Lucy died I blamed myself for a long time. I kept thinking if I'd done things differently, if I'd tried harder to save her, that she might still be here… but that way of thinking gets you nowhere. Lucy was an addict. It's an illness, a daily battle that some win and some lose. In the end only she could save herself. And it's the same with Peter. No matter what mistakes you might've made, it was his choice to start drinking again, never forget that."

"Maybe," she muttered. "But I can't help feeling like I've contributed somehow."

He leaned across the table, a move which prompted her to look at him, and perhaps it was the lighting, but he looked even more handsome than usual. It was his eyes she admired the most. They were a striking ocean blue. Yet there was something gentle about them too, something warm and inviting. "Carla, may I be honest with you? I don't know Peter, or the ins and outs of your relationship, I can only judge by what I see in front of me. And what I see in front of me is a woman who's desperately unhappy. The Carla I knew back in Devon was full of life, had a smile that would light up a room. Now you just seem… sad."

His words struck a chord deep within her and she felt the sudden urge to cry, because it was true, she was unhappy. Not only that, she was miserable. Her elderly father was locked away in prison, the love of her life was dying of liver failure, and his son was being targeted by the cast of Breaking Bad. Life wasn't peachy. And she was the one caught in the middle of it all, trying to keep the various pieces of her life from falling apart. But she was falling apart in the process. And Lucas was the only one who seemed to have noticed.

"I'm worried about you," he continued. "I've been down the road that you're headed and I can tell you from bitter experience that it's not worth the trip. All that's waiting for you is heartache and pain and regret and feeling like you've wasted your life." He shook his head. "I don't want that for you, Carla. You deserve so much more."

"So it's time for me to man up and tell the truth..." He took a steadying breath before meeting her eyes. "You're right, I didn't come all this way just to do business with Underworld. I came here for you. Ever since Lucy died I've not been able to get you out of my head. I kept thinking what if. What if I'd never gotten together Lucy, what if I'd gone ahead and kissed you tequila night, because that's what my heart was screaming at me to do…"

Their conversation had entered dangerous territory, and she closed her eyes ."Lucas, don't do this."

She thought they were past all this. She thought he was happy being her business partner and nothing more. She thought he was here tonight merely as a friend, someone who understood what she was going through and could offer some support, but no, once again, here he was, making a play for her.

His blue eyes twinkled. "You can't deny we had something back then. A spark, a connection that doesn't' come around often, and when it does you've got to grab it with both hands."

It hit her in that moment just how much she'd had to drink. It had been a mistake coming here. A big mistake.

She signalled the waiter over. "The only thing I'll be grabbing is the bill."

Lucas chased after her as she hurried out of the restaurant. "Carla, wait!"

"Just leave me alone!" she said, quickening her pace down the cobbled street.

"Please, just—"

She spun on her heel, turning to face him. "What is it you want from me?"

"I want to see you smile again," he answered honestly. "I want to be the one to make you smile. I know you say you love Peter but you can't see that he's dragging you down. You're a shadow of your former self. You can't keep living like this, Carla. It's time to break free."

She scoffed at his choice of words. "Break free? I'm not a prisoner!"

"Aren't you?"

Here we go again with the mind games, she thought.

"I love Peter," she told him firmly. "I love him and I'm never going to leave him. Yes, our relationship isn't perfect, but whose is? We have our ups and downs, our good days and our bad, but whatever life throws our way, we get through it by sticking together. This time won't be any different."

She went to walk away but found herself pausing and turning back. "And for your information, I'm an addict too. Booze, gambling – I've battled both." She smiled at the look of surprise on his face. "See? For a man who claims to know so much about me, you really don't know me at all. But Peter does. He knows the real me, not some idealised version that doesn't exist! So to avoid any further confusion let me set the record straight; the woman you thought you knew down in Devon never existed. It was all a lie."

"And something else I'm betting you didn't know," she continued, having gotten into her stride, "the reason I quit the factory was because I had a breakdown." His face had dropped completely now. "Things were so bad I tried to throw myself off the top of that thing." She pointed up at the fire escape. "I would've died if Peter hadn't been there. It was the darkest period of my life, and he got me through it. So I'm going to do exactly the same for him. Now if you'll excuse me."

Satisfied she'd got her point across, she walked away, leaving Lucas speechless in the middle of the street.

It was seven o'clock, three hours since Carla had left, and she still wasn't back. Peter hadn't moved from his jigsaw and could feel his father's eyes watching him from the armchair. He tried not to take any notice and concentrated on his jigsaw, but in the back of his mind was Carla.

There came a weary sigh from across the room as Ken removed his glasses. "Peter, don't you think all this is getting a little silly? You chose to forgive Carla, to put her infidelity behind you and move forward, so why are you sat sulking over a jigsaw like a child?"

It was the final straw for Peter who threw down the jigsaw piece in his hand. "I messed up, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I know I shouldn't have snapped at her but my moods are up and down like a flamin' see-saw! It's stressful enough with my liver without having all this Simon stuff to deal with."

Ken frowned. "What stuff with Simon?"

"It's doesn't matter," Peter said quickly. "I'm trying really hard to put what happened with Adam behind me but it's always there in the back of my mind, niggling away at me. The thought of them together still turns my stomach. And now this ex of hers is back sniffing about, it's just making it all worse." The desperation was building in his voice. "I love her more than anything dad, but I can feel her slipping away from me… and I don't know how to stop that from happening."

"Talk to her, that's what you need to do. Have an open and honest conversation for once in your lives. Lay out all your grievances and see if you can find a way to work through them." Ken paused, giving his words time to sink in, before he continued, "For what it's worth, I like Carla. I have a great deal of respect for her. Yes she's made mistakes, but she's not the first and I honestly believe she loves you." Another thoughtful pause. "I suppose what you now have to decide, is whether love is going to be enough."

Peter looked down at his jigsaw and sucked a thoughtful tooth.

Later that night he headed over to Roy's. Carla answered the door in her dressing gown, her hair swept off her face in a messy bun. Somehow she still managed to look absolutely gorgeous. She was surprised to see him as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Peter, what are you doing here?"

He suddenly became aware of how late it was. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, it's fine, come on in."

"I wanted to apologise for how I was with you earlier," he said as he followed her into the flat. "I know you were only trying to help."

"I was."

Not waiting for an invitation, he plopped himself down on the sofa with a weary sigh. Carla remained standing, her arms folded tightly around herself as she waited for him to speak. "I hate the way things are between us," he admitted at long last. "I hate what we've become."

She nodded sadly. "Me too."

"Where did it all go so wrong, eh? I've been wracking my brains, trying to figure it out…"

"I know exactly where it went wrong," she said. Then she gave only one word. "Jordan."

That name sent pangs of anger coursing through Peter's veins.

He stared at her, confused. "I don't follow."

She shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "After what happened, you became closed off… and I wasn't sure how you felt about me anymore. I know you said you didn't blame me for what happened, but part of me wondered if secretly you did, if deep down you resented me for sleeping with another man."

He felt attacked, hurt. "How could you think that?"

"Because of the way you acted after it happened, the things you said."

"What things?"

"Like when you said you didn't blame me for sleeping with Jordan."

Peter closed his eyes and mentally kicked himself for the careless remark. He had hoped she'd let it go but clearly she hadn't. "I told you, that was a stupid slip of the tongue."

"Was it? Or was it the truth?"

Her question gave him pause. The incident with Jordan was something they hadn't spoken about in a long time. There was an unwritten rule between them never to bring it up; it was too painful, too uncomfortable to talk about, so it had become easier to pretend as though it had never happened. But that's all they were doing, pretending.

"What happened to you was hard for me to come to terms with," he admitted quietly. "I was so angry, angry that this awful thing had happened to you again, and angry at myself for not being there to stop it. I felt like I'd failed you…" A lump had formed in the back of his throat but he pushed through it. "That's why I spent so much time helping Abi. I thought if could save her, if I could save just one person, that it would somehow make up for not being able to save you." He hung his head, embarrassed. "Daft, I know. But I needed to do something. I had all this anger inside, this rage…" Tears stung his eyes as he looked at her. He shook his head. "But I never blamed you. Never. I only blamed myself."

"Why couldn't you have just told me that?"

"Because you'd already been through so much. The last thing I wanted to do was burden you with my problems…" He stared down at his lap. "In the end it became easier to shut you out, to deal with the anger on my own."

"And that's been our problem," she said. "We've stopped talking to each other, stopped communicating. Whenever there's a problem we brush it under the carpet and hope that it'll go away. It shouldn't be like that, Peter. We should be able to tell each other everything."

"I know."

"And before you saying anything, I know I'm not blameless in all of this. I've made mistakes too, big ones. Sleeping with Adam, bringing Tina and the baby up all the time… I know I shouldn't do it. When I made the decision to get back with you, that meant letting go of the past. It's not fair to keep throwing it back in your face every time we have an argument."

"But it's hard, isn't it?" he said. "To forgive and forget."

"It is," she admitted with an air of sadness.

She came and sat beside him and for a while neither one of them had a clue what to say. She ended the silence before it became deafening. "We've caused each other a lot of pain over the years. Most people would've thrown in the towel by now… but we're not most people, are we?" He turned to see her smiling at him, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless, and it gave him a slither of hope that maybe all wasn't lost. "And despite everything, despite all the mistakes we've made, all the pain we've caused each other, I'm not ready to give up on us, because when things are good, nothing else compares. Nothing even comes close."

"So," she continued, and slipped her hand in his. "I'm willing to draw a line in the sand, to put all that bad stuff behind us and start over. I want us to have a relationship built on trust, where we're not afraid to be open and honest with each other. That's what I want." She searched his eyes. "The question is… do you want the same?"

He looked at her with all the love in the world. "Do you even have to ask?"

And with that, they caved into each other's arms.

"Of course it's what I want," Peter said, relieved to be holding her close again. "I love you to bits you daft woman."

The last few months had been hard, had tested their love in ways they'd never imagined possible, but through it all they'd never lost hope that eventually they'd find their back to each other again. Now here they were, back in each other's arms, where they belonged.

He pulled back to look at her, their noses brushing against each other as he cupped her face with his hands. "What a difference having an open, honest conversation makes, eh?"

She smiled through her tears. "Makes me wonder why we never tried it before."

And suddenly they were laughing and joking… they were them again.

Author's note: A Carter centric chapter this time. I really want them to have a scene where they talk about all their problems because I think it's a conversation that needs to be had otherwise how are they ever supposed to move on?

Also, what are your thoughts on Carter's current storyline on the show? I've got mixed feelings. Personally, I think the storyline's suffered from pacing issues – a lot of their scenes have gone over the same ground and now they've disappeared off-screen! Why does this keep happening? The show could seriously do with getting rid of a few characters – Daisy's stepdaughter would be top of my list. What's the point of her?

What do you guys make of Lucas? He could've been interesting but they've not fleshed him out enough or given him enough screen time – he just randomly pops up every now and again to tell Carla to run away with him then he's gone again! Do you reckon we've seen the last of him?

And what about poor Peter? Do we think this'll be his exit storyline? Ian McLeod said something along the lines of 'by the end of it, it will feel like the ultimate love story' - something about this makes me nervous, makes me think there's a finality to it? Because technically the happy ending McLeod promised us could just be for the couple aka they get married, rather than Peter surviving.

I hear a wedding's on the horizon – exciting! – BUT I'd rather we waited for a wedding than have a socially distanced one (remember Gary and Maria's? Thanks but no thanks!). Having them not be able to kiss or embrace would feel like such a kick in the teeth after all the years we've waited for them to get hitched again, wouldn't it?

Anyway enough of my waffling, thanks so much for reading and to everyone who's left a review. Keep 'em coming.